Was the Early Church Communist?
Jay Richards: Was the early Church communist? … In the book of Acts, just after Pentecost, members of the new Church sold their belongings and shared their wealth. That sounds like communism to some folks. And if Christians are to live up to their origins, the argument goes, then they should be communists too. Makes perfect sense, as long as you misread the text, ignore the details, and forget the meaning of words.
The State of the Church in America: Latest Research
Ed Stetzer: Overall, the Church’s influence on Americans is beginning to fade. A growing number of Americans have given up on God—or at least on organized religion
An Up Close Look at Church Attendance in America. Uh Oh.
Kelly Shattuck of ChurchLeaders.com: Less than 20 percent of Americans regularly attend church—half of what the pollsters report . . .
Strategy in Church Planting. What Do YOU Think?
Ron Sylvia: Once you’ve heard God’s personal call to plant a church that impacts the world for His Kingdom, the wrestling begins. God, did I hear you right? Where do I plant? How will we raise the funds? Doubts, fear and lack of clarity can delay or even stall your church plant. After much prayer, one of the best steps you can take to bring clarity and action to your calling is to develop a Master Plan . . .
Writer of "In Christ Alone" Says Worship Today Lacks Depth
Keith Getty: Irish hymn writer Keith Getty, co-author of “In Christ Alone,” one of the world’s most popular hymns, believes that for the first time in Christian history, worship music is not giving Christians a solid foundation for their faith.
How to Shrink Your Church In One Easy Lesson
Alexander Griswold of The Federalist: We’ve all heard the refrain that U.S. churches need liberalize their teachings on sexuality and homosexuality or rapidly decline. The logic behind the argument is simple: more and more Americans are embracing homosexuality and same-sex marriage, including growing numbers of religious Millennials. So long as churches remain the face of opposition to gay marriage, those churches will shrink into irrelevancy when gay marriage becomes a settled political issue. That’s the theory. But what do the studies say?
6 Things That Block the Holy Spirit
J. Lee Grady of Charisma Magazine: Last weekend while I was preaching at a church in central California, a young man came to the altar to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. He was eager to go deeper spiritually. Someone prayed for him for a while, but nothing happened. . .
Lesson From History: The Secret to Being a Successful Church
Darrin Rodgers of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center: What is the distinctive feature in a Pentecostal worship service? The answer, according to a 1946 Pentecostal Evangel article by P. S. Jones, is “the prominence given to the prayer room” . . .
4 Things Your Church May Be Doing Wrong in Worship
Carrie Dedrick: the goal of praise and worship is not to entertain but to usher in God’s presence. Therefore, as worship leaders, we must be more focused on bringing glory to God than on the entertainment value of what we’re doing for Him . . .
Why Youth Stay in the Church as Adults
Jon Nielson: Each parent had a story to tell about a “good Christian” child, raised in their home and in our church, who had walked away from the faith during the college years. These children had come through our church’s youth program, gone on short-term mission trips, and served in several different ministries during their teenage years. Now they didn’t want anything to do with it anymore . . .
9 Marks of an Overcoming Church
Ryan Bain: Is your church an Antioch church or is it still focused on you and your comfort? The words “overcome” and “comfort” have NOTHING to do with each other. Your choice. His call . . .
The Most Common Factor in Declining Churches
Thom Rainer: As God has allowed me to study congregations for more than 25 years, I can see a simple but profound pattern among the declining churches. Stated simply, the most common factor in declining churches is . . .
Your Seven Duties as a Church Member
Jonathan Leeman of The Gospel Coalition: Did you know, ordinary church member, that Jesus has given you a job? Your elders have a special office, to be sure, but so do you. And Jesus has given you elders in order to train you to do your job. So if Jesus’s discipleship program gives every single member a job, what responsibilities come with this job? There are at least seven.
The Mark of Christianity That is Missing From Our Worship
Trevin Wax of The Gospel Coalition: It is puzzling to see one of the defining marks of a Christian’s identity quietly disappear from a church’s worship. I’m speaking, of course, about . . .
What's Ahead for the Church in America?
Rob Ketterling: Society, church, technology . . . so much is changing before our eyes. What can the church do to be prepared to advance the Gospel through these changes?
Is Youth Ministry Killing the Church?
Kate Murphy: I wonder if we’re ministering youth right out of the church. . . When our children and youth ministries ghettoize young people, we run the risk of losing them after high school graduation . . .
14 Key Reasons For the Breakdown of Church Unity
Thom S. Rainer: The early church in Jerusalem thrived because it was so unified. Acts 2:47 says: “(They were) praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved” (HCSB). The phrase “having favor with all the people” refers to those on the outside looking at the church on the inside. They saw a selfless and unified church, and were thus attracted to it. So what are some of the key reasons we are seeing the breakdown of unity in our churches? Though my list is not exhaustive, allow me to share fourteen of those reasons . . .
The Church's Dirty Little Secret
Joe McKeever of ChurchLeaders: “Church is the only place on earth where people can throw hissy fits and get away with it.” —A friend serving his first church after seminary . . .
13 Sins of A Dying Church
The Malphurs Group: In my research of this pastor and many others sampled from over 30 states, 10 denominations, and churches varying in size from under 50 to above 5000, I developed this list of 13 deadly sins of a dying church . . .
65 Million Have Left the US Church. More Leaving ... Now.
STUDY – Josh Packard: The reality of the exodus from church is bigger than you feared…and starting much closer to home.That’s what sociologist and author Josh Packard has confirmed in his just-released report, Exodus of the Religious Dones. Packard’s research confirms not only how many people have walked away from the church already, but how many are lined up to leave—and why . . .
Joined to the Church
James Emery White: This great enterprise gathers all critical elements together and places them in a context of such cosmic significance that Jesus declared it would be “so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out” (Matthew 16:18, Msg).
Jesus was referring to the church.
New Study: 'Conservative' Churches with a Literal Interpretation of the Bible Are Growing
Theology Matters: Comparing the Traits of Growing and Declining Mainline Protestant Church Attendees and Clergy: A five-year study of growing and shrinking churches in Canada revealed that theology is critical for church survival, and even for attracting younger people. Beliefs based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, the importance of converting people to Christianity, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ are strongest in growing churches, and weakest in churches on the decline.
The Church's Hidden Back Door
Tom Schultz: A serious survey on the church has produced results that are stunning: some 31 percent of the entire U.S. adult population that was once churched and now has dropped out and disconnected from any organized church. That’s a population of 65 million adults.
Jim Cymbala: 3 Serious Warning Signs for the Church.
Jim Cymbala: The church is on the brink of a major storm. Decreased church attendance, anemic messages and pastoral burn-out illustrate diminishing signs of the spiritual life of Christ. Here Cymbala shares three warning signs of which the church needs to be aware.
9 Ways to Pray for Pastors & Churches
Justin Taylor of The Gospel Coalition: Nine bullet points on pointed prayer for your pastor and church.
The Empty Worship Song
Josh Havens of Theology in Progress: Emotions and emotional experiences alone are easy to create. The right lighting at the right time, the right build in the music, the right expression of passion, and the right arm movements can give anyone goosebumps. But (in worship) that’s not what we’re after . . .
Why Do Students Leave The Faith After Graduation?
Kara Powell of Fuller Youth Institute: The answer presents itself in this interview with youth specialist, Kara Powell as she considers these questions: what has changed the most in youth ministry over the last decade; what’s the #1 Reason this generation walks away from their faith; What is needed to bridge that gap between the youth and the church; how should the church approach doubt in ministering to students?
3 Things Churches Love That Kill Outreach
Ed Stetzer: All churches love certain things. Some love fellowship, some worship, some prayer. Those are good loves. Some are neutral loves. Some are not. Other churches love their building, their history or their strategy. Those can be good or bad, depending on what we mean by love and how we value those things. But some things that churches love hurt their mission and hinder their call . . .
6 Reasons to Be in Church
Matt Brown: How do we inspire people to still love Church even when they think they know it all? Or maybe this is where you find yourself, and you’re wondering how to fall in love with Church again? Here are 6 really good reasons why Church is important, even once you think you know it all already . . .
How 4 Local Churches Answered Racial Division in 1965
Darrin Rodgers of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center: Fifty years ago, the community of Lorain, Ohio, was in the midst of a significant demographic shift. Racial tensions existed in the historically white town of 60,000, as residents grappled with these social changes . . . In a world broken and divided by group identities, the church’s greatest opportunity lies in demonstrating the power of the Gospel to not only save the individual from sin, but to bring unity among people. It’s a theme we share on a regular basis at JPC . . .
The Sound of Silence (Not Worship)
Kevin DeYoung: This is almost an absolute rule: if you look around your congregation and people are barely singing, there is something wrong with your worship services . . .
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